A romantic carriage ride... the Essex way: Mark Wright treats birthday girl Michelle Keegan to a jaunt in a rickshaw after theatre date

A ride in a horse-drawn carriage around London is sure to earn brownie points for any young Romeo.

But Mark Wright gave the concept something of an Essex twist as he treated girlfriend Michelle Keegan to a ride in a rickshaw as they celebrated her 26th birthday.

The Coronation Street actress and her former TOWIE star beau squeezed themselves into one of the bicycle-powered vehicles to head to dinner following a trip to the theatre.

Not exactly a horse drawn carriage! Mark Wright treated Michelle Keegan to a ride in a rickshaw on Tuesday night as they celebrated her 26th birthday

However, Mark certainly didn't scrimp on the rest of the celebrations, treating Michelle to box tickets to watch Jersey Boys before the pair headed to Nobu Berkeley for a bite to eat.

Clearly thrilled with the choice of entertainment for the evening, Michelle tweeted a picture of herself sitting on Mark's lap in their box, writing: 'Just about to watch a show. Bday celebrations @MarkWright_ Richard Gere eat your heart out #prettywoman.'

And Michelle told MailOnline of her birthday celebrations:'It has been the best birthday ever . I felt like i was in the film Pretty Woman. Mark made it so very special and I am very lucky.'

Michelle showed off her slim figure in a stunning turquoise Popcouture.co.uk dress for the occasion, teaming it with towering nude heels and turquoise accessories.

Leggy lady: Michelle wouldn't have been able to walk very far, judging by the size of her heels

What's so funny? The pair shared a joke as they sat back and enjoyed the ride

Mark, meanwhile, opted for jeans, a white T-shirt and black jacket, going for a casual look a la David Beckham.

The 26-year-old reality star certainly appeared protective of Michelle during the evening out, struggling to keep his hands off the actress as the pair enjoyed their night.

A source told MailOnline of the couple's night out: 'For Michelle's birthday Mark pulled out all the stops , they enjoyed a few days prior to her birthday in Spain, and then after her appearance on This Morning yesterday - he gave her a "proper London day out ".

'This included visiting The Tower Of London which is somewhere she has always wanted to go . They stayed at the Ritz , he hired a box for them to watch Jersey Boys , dinner and cocktails as Nobu afterwards.'

Lucky girl: Michelle kept a tight grip of her boyfriend as they strolled along

Tight and turquoise: Michelle showed off her slim frame in an eye-catching dress

Protective: Mark struggled to keep his hands off his stunning girlfriend

While the pair didn't coordinate with their outfits for the night out, they did succeed in matching their deep golden tans.

Discussing her bronzed complexion on This Morning earlier in the day, Michelle told hosts Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby: 'Luckily Tina has been on holiday with Tommy [in Corrie] so they have bronzed Chris up and I've just come in looking like this so it kind of matches!'

However, Michelle added she's not too hopeful she'll be named Sexiest Female at the Soap Awards again now that she's turned 26.

She commented: 'I doubt it, I've turned 26 now, that's it, they won't be giving me it again! To be fair, it's one of them situation where people say 'do you think you're gonna win it', and I don't think I'm gonna win it every year at all, and when I do, it's a really nice surprise and the fact people have voted is really flattering.'

'Pretty woman': Michelle shared a picture of herself with Mark on her Twitter page as they watched Jersey Boys from a box

Bite to eat: Following the theatre, the pair headed to Nobu Berkeley for dinner